Red Moon

She was staring out the window of the front room as dark clouds threatened rain, her tiny hands pressed against the cold tinted glass. The front room was a usually bright area, the moon flooding it with a cool, gentle light. Tonight it was much different; it was cold and dark like a metal room with no windows. She was slightly frightened. Her mother and father were panicking and running around the house, boarding up windows and gathering supplies. Her father was trying to find his car keys to get more supplies. The last time this happened, it was a cyclone that tore through the city like a bulldozer, leaving almost nothing behind in the overpopulated streets. She didn’t want her father to leave the house, he was like her superhero, and her heart sank a little when she watched him drive out the garage. But she knew he had to go out. Her mother came out of the kitchen with a small box in her hands and the girl turned and smiled at her. It was packed full of water bottles, canned foods and batteries. She knew that there was some strange things going on outside. Usually there would be children playing and adults caring for the gardens, but as soon as the man on the news announced that there was a strange sickness going around, everyone stayed inside. Turning back towards the window, she saw a sick woman staggering down the road, groaning and drooling. She thought that the woman should see a doctor, and fast. Then, out of the blue, she heard a loud bang and the woman staggered slightly. She was bleeding. The girl couldn’t scream; she was too shocked. Another bang rang out; the woman fell like a sack of rocks, bleeding. Tears rolled down her small face in confusion, sadness and fear. She turned to her mother for guidance to what was happening, but she was just as shocked as her daughter. Her mother had one hand over her mouth in shock and was noticeably pale, her eyes wide like a scared puppy. Looking up at the sky once more, she now noticed that the moon was just starting its climb up the dark sky, but it was bright red. Her mother slowly walked towards the window and peered out, just as her daughter was doing. The girl's mother made a quiet comment about the moon, looked at her daughter and ran her shaky hand through her hair. Her mother told her that it was going to be alright, and this would pass like a cold. The girl nodded and asked her mother why the moon was red tonight. Her mother smiled and replied by telling her that old stories said that strange things happen on a night with a red moon. She then asked when her father was getting back home, and her mother only said soon. The girl knew that the shops where not that far away and that something bad must of happened because he should have been back by now. A feeling of worry coiled itself around her like a snake, crushing any feeling of hope. She started to worry even more when her mother said nothing to help her calm down. Her mother was pacing around the front room, clearly distraught.

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